Chinese come in search of history, culture and luxury shopping

The number of visitors from China is predicted to more than double by 2014 as the country’s middle classes take advantage of relaxed visa restrictions and become more sophisticated in their travel tastes.

A report from VisitBritain, to be published today, forecasts about 204,000 Chinese visitors in 2014, compared with 89,000 last year. Even taking into account a 17 per cent drop last year, as the global recession temporarily halted the Chinese economic juggernaut, the predicted increase will make China the fastest-growing source market for visitors from abroad.

Few airlines offer flights directly from China to the UK but many are able to connect flights to the UK from hubs in Asia.

Last year’s visitors from China were split fairly evenly between holidaymakers, businessmen and people visiting friends and relatives. Britain’s historic buildings and shopping are among the biggest attractions for holidaymakers, although the VisitBritain report highlights strong interest in Premier League football.

London’s shopping emporia satisfy the Chinese appetite for luxury goods such as Burberry, Gucci and Louis Vuitton fashion items and malt whisky. Import tariffs and taxes mean that such goods are 30 per cent cheaper than the equivalent items in China — and they are less likely to be fakes.

Other big factors in the rising tide of Chinese visitors are the increasing ease and cheapness of travel, as new airports increase flight capacity, and the wider introduction by employers of paid leave and the easing of rules on taking money out of the country. In 2005, the UK was granted approved destination status, which opened up the market to groups on trips booked through licensed travel agents.

Since then, controls on outbound travel have been relaxed further, partly through the simplification of private passport and visa applications, which has helped the emand for independent travel, particularly among young people.

After last year’s fall in visitors, China ranked fortieth in Britain’s inbound league table, while spending was down 14 per cent to £117 million, putting it 31st. However, spending per visit was up 3 per cent to £1,130 and VisitBritain predicts a rapid rise by 2014.

Official figures suggest that 26.8 million Chinese made overseas trips last year, the top destinations being Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and South Korea. That figure is forecast to hit 100 million by 2020.

One company cashing in on the changes is InterContinental Hotels Group, already the biggest international hotel operator in China with 140 hotels, mainly under the InterContinental and Holiday Inn brands. A spokesman said it was hoping the familiarity of its brands to Chinese consumers would help to attract Chinese guests.